Page 20 of Fixing Up My Love Life

“Are you a pirate?” Ellen asks, tugging on my tool belt.

“Arg. Why, yes.”

“You have booty?” Ellen looks at me with a hopeful expression.

I glance around, then pull a shiny gold chocolate coin from the side pouch of my tool belt. I pause before handing it over, turning to Hazel first.

“Does Ellen have any allergies?” I ask.

Hazel laughs softly. “Nope. If it’s chocolate, she’ll be your best friend.”

I hand Ellen the coin. “This here’s a rare golden doubloon from the lost pirate shipToolboxia,” I say in my most serious voice.

Ellen gasps like I’ve just handed her a real gem. She clutches it with both hands and practically glows.

“Thank you, Pirate Jack!” she squeals.

Hazel laughs, her eyes lighting up. “Great. Now she’s going to want a whole treasure chest.”

She leans down toward Ellen. “Okay, little pirate, let’s get you upstairs for snack time.” She tosses a glance over her shoulder at me—part amused, part apologetic. “You’re already her favorite. Just wait.”

Just wait? She realizes what that sounds like, right?It feels like an invitation, not just into the house, but into her life. Like she actually wants me here. With them. It could mean nothing. Or it could mean everything.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Hazel asks after a long, productive day of renovations. It’s been two weeks since I met her girls, and ever since, it’s been one moment of precious memories after another.

Ellen had covered my work boots in ballerina stickers. Kira tried to make an Easy Mac cup but forgot the water and to remove the cheese pouch. The microwave started smoking, and when we finally pried it open, the noodles were black and ashy. And Lila? She left her makeup bag downstairs, which Ellen used to give the freshly painted walls a makeover in bright red lipstick.

I’d survived demo days with flying debris and a live wasp nest in the ceiling, but a house full of girls was a whole different kind of chaos. And strangely, I didn’t hate it.

Most guys might find it exhausting—the glitter, the drama, the endless snack crises—but somehow, these girls are stealing my heart.

It hits me all at once, this wave of noise, energy,and unfiltered honesty. This is life. Real. Messy. Warm. And for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel like running from it.

I want in. All the way in.

Even if it means the renovations get a little more complicated with every new lipstick mural and microwave disaster.

My team has been hard at work, and we have the living room looking a lot better with the support beam in place and the fireplace gleaming.

“You don’t need to worry about cooking when you’re exhausted. Why don’t I order us Mexican for Cinco de Mayo?” I offer.

She grins. “You don’t need to convince me.”

Her kids are with their dad for the weekend, so it’s just the two of us.

An hour later, we’re full of chicken fajitas and sipping on margaritas by the firepit on the back patio. Her smooth skin glows in the firelight as she props her feet up, warming her toes. She’s changed into a blue floral sundress that shows off her creamy shoulders. Hazel was always the girl who loaded up on sunscreen whenever she went to the beach because she never tanned and only burned to a crisp if she wasn’t careful. And I was the one who volunteered to make sure her back was covered in lotion when she couldn’t reach.

“Do you know, I haven’t stepped foot on the beach once this year?” Hazel’s hair blows in the wind, making my fingers itch to learn if it’s as silky soft as I remember.

“Come on, I’ll walk with you.” I get up and reach for her hand.

She takes it, and I help her out of her chair.

We walk barefoot slowly through the sand as the tide rolls in and the stars sparkle above. Hazel’s dress flutters in the breeze, brushing against my bare legs.

“The renovation’s been coming along nicely. I saw the new faucet was installed in the kitchen today.”

It had been on backorder until recently. “Tomorrow the plan is to replace the flooring in the bathrooms.” My toes dig into the sand as I walk. Ahead of us, the lights on the pier twinkle in the distance. Twin Waves has only a few small hotels and condos, and none of them are high rises.

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